A messy result for Argentina
Lionel Messi & Co. are nearing elimination after loss to Croatia.
Lionel Messi’s frustrating international career may be coming to an early and anticlimactic finish after Argentina’s worst loss in World Cup group play in 60 years.
With Diego Maradona watching from the stands, the 2014 runners-up were routed Thursday by Croatia 3-0 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Croatia is moving on to the round of 16.
Messi got off only one shot in a defeat that pushed Argentina to the brink of elimination. Messi, who turns 31 on Sunday, has never won a major title with Argentina’s senior national team despite a decade of championships with Barcelona and five player-ofthe-year awards.
“He is our captain, he leads the team and we quite simply couldn’t pass to him,” Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli said.
“We work to give Leo the ball, but the opponent also works hard to prevent him from getting the ball.”
Messi also missed a penalty kick in his team’s opening 1-1 draw against Iceland.
Argentina, hurt by the poor play of goalkeeper Willy Caballero on Thursday, had not lost by such a large margin in the first round since a 6-1 defeat to Czechoslovakia in 1958. Caballero gained the starting role because No. 1 keeper Sergio Romero injured his knee last month.
“We have to swallow the poison,” Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano said. “The game says it all.”
Argentina, which has not missed the second round since failing to qualify for the 1970 World Cup, has not been eliminated.
But they need to win their next match against Nigeria as well as get help from other matches.
France 1, Peru 0: Fast, exciting and now the youngest scorer in France’s World Cup history. Kylian Mbappe is the one.
At 19 years and 183 days, Mbappe became the youngest player to score for France’s national team on soccer’s biggest stage. And his reward was leading his squad into the round of 16 with a win in Yekaterinburg.
“I’ve always said that the World Cup is a dream for any player,” said Mbappe, who was born a few months after France won the 1998 title.
“It is a dream come true and I hope I will have more like this.”
With two wins from two matches in Group C, France is through to the next round with a match to spare. Peru was eliminated.
Paul Pogba, one of France’s best players, set up the 34th-minute goal for Mbappe. Pogba beat his defender and passed to Olivier Giroud, who then chipped the ball toward goal for Mbappe to easily tap in past goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
France coach Didier Deschamps made a pair of tactical adjustments after an underwhelming performance in the team’s opening win over Australia. He put Giroud and Blaise Matuidi in the starting lineup and both exposed gaps in Peru’s backline.
Paolo Guerrero started for Peru after coming off the bench in the opening loss to Denmark. He had one of Peru’s best chances in the 87th minute from a free kick, but his attempt went right at goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Australia 1, Denmark 1: Mile Jedinak has a knack for penalty kicks and his strategy is beyond simple.
“Just to get that ball in the back in the net,” the Australia captain said after converting from the spot to give Australia a draw in Samara and new life at the World Cup.
The 38th-minute penalty was set up after Denmark’s Yussuf Poulsen was called for a handball following a video review. Poulsen was also cautioned by the referee and will be suspended for the team’s final group match against France because of yellow-card accumulation.
The goal was Jedinak’s second from the spot at this year’s World Cup, and it snapped Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s five-match streak of shutouts for the Danes.
Christian Eriksen scored in the opening minutes for Denmark, which has gone unbeaten in 17 straight international matches.
Going into the tournament, No. 36 Australia was the lowest-ranked team in Group C with the others all in the top 12. A loss Thursday would have made it nearly impossible for Australia to advance to the next stage.